<!doctype HTML public "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Frameset//EN">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="generator" content="Adobe RoboHelp - www.adobe.com">
<title>About filters</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="userhelp_ns.css"><script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" title="WebHelpSplitCss">
<!--
if (navigator.appName !="Netscape")
{   document.write("<link rel='stylesheet' href='userhelp.css'>");}
//-->
</script>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
table.whs1 { x-cell-content-align:top; margin-left:40px; border-spacing:0px; }
tr.whs2 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:25px; }
td.whs3 { padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; border-left-style:Solid; border-left-color:#000000; border-top-color:#000000; border-top-style:Solid; border-right-style:Solid; border-right-color:#000000; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:Solid; border-right-width:1px; border-left-width:1px; border-top-width:1px; border-bottom-width:1px; background-color:#d1d1d1; }
p.whs4 { font-weight:bold; }
td.whs5 { padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; border-top-color:#000000; border-top-style:Solid; border-right-style:Solid; border-right-color:#000000; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:Solid; border-right-width:1px; border-top-width:1px; border-bottom-width:1px; background-color:#d1d1d1; }
td.whs6 { padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; border-top-color:#000000; border-top-style:Solid; border-right-style:Solid; border-right-color:#000000; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:Solid; border-top-width:1px; border-bottom-width:1px; border-right-width:1px; background-color:#d1d1d1; }
tr.whs7 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:150px; }
td.whs8 { padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; border-left-style:Solid; border-left-color:#000000; border-left-width:1px; border-right-style:Solid; border-right-color:#000000; border-right-width:1px; border-bottom-width:1px; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:Solid; }
td.whs9 { padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; border-right-style:Solid; border-right-color:#000000; border-right-width:1px; border-bottom-width:1px; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-style:Solid; }
td.whs10 { border-right-width:1px; border-right-color:#000000; border-right-style:Solid; border-bottom-style:Solid; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-width:1px; padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; }
tr.whs11 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:120px; }
td.whs12 { border-left-width:1px; border-left-color:#000000; border-left-style:Solid; border-right-width:1px; border-right-color:#000000; border-right-style:Solid; border-bottom-style:Solid; border-bottom-color:#000000; border-bottom-width:1px; padding-right:10px; padding-left:10px; }
tr.whs13 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:160px; }
tr.whs14 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:180px; }
tr.whs15 { x-cell-content-align:top; height:141px; }
ul.whs16 { list-style:disc; }
-->
</style><script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript" title="WebHelpInlineScript">
<!--
function reDo() {
  if (innerWidth != origWidth || innerHeight != origHeight)
     location.reload();
}
if ((parseInt(navigator.appVersion) == 4) && (navigator.appName == "Netscape")) {
	origWidth = innerWidth;
	origHeight = innerHeight;
	onresize = reDo;
}
onerror = null; 
//-->
</script>
<style type="text/css">
<!--
div.WebHelpPopupMenu { position:absolute; left:0px; top:0px; z-index:4; visibility:hidden; }
-->
</style><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2" src="whmsg.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript" src="whver.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2" src="whproxy.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2" src="whutils.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2" src="whlang.js"></script>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2" src="whtopic.js"></script>
</head>
<body><script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2">
<!--
if (window.gbWhTopic)
{
	if (window.addTocInfo)
	{
	addTocInfo("Creating and modifying reports\nRetrieving specific data from sources: Filters\nAbout filters");
addButton("show",BTN_TEXT,"Show","","","","",0,0,"","","");

	}
	if (window.writeBtnStyle)
		writeBtnStyle();

	if (window.writeIntopicBar)
		writeIntopicBar(1);

	if(1)
	{
	
	}

	if (window.setRelStartPage)
	{
	setRelStartPage("MicroStrategy_Web_Help.htm");

		autoSync(1);
		sendSyncInfo();
		sendAveInfoOut();
	}
}
else
	if (window.gbIE4)
		document.location.reload();

//-->
</script>
<h1>About filters</h1>
<p>An important step in designing a report is ensuring that the correct 
 data is returned from your data sources to be displayed on the report. 
 To do this, you add a filter to the report.</p>
<p>A filter screens data in your data source to determine whether the data 
 should be included in or excluded from the calculations of the report 
 results. A filter is not required in a report, although reports without 
 filters are more likely to return too much data to be displayed effectively. 
 If a filter is added, it should make sense with the objects already on 
 the report.</p>
<p>For an introduction to filters, images of the various types of filters, 
 an introduction to the Filter Editor, diagrams and examples to show how 
 to join filter qualifications with operators such as AND and 
 OR, and a table that lists each filter type and what data it is designed 
 to filter, see the <span style="font-style: italic;"><I>MicroStrategy Basic 
 Reporting Guide</I></span>. </p>
<h2>Creating a filter</h2>
<p>To create a stand-alone filter object within a MicroStrategy project, 
 review the table below to determine what kind of filter you want to create. 
 Then use the appropriate link for steps to create that filter.</p>
<table x-use-null-cells cellspacing="0" class="whs1">
<col>
<col>
<col>


<tr valign="top" class="whs2">
<td bgcolor="#D1D1D1" class="whs3">
<p class="whs4">Filter Type</td>
<td bgcolor="#D1D1D1" class="whs5">
<p class="whs4">Filter Name</td>
<td bgcolor="#D1D1D1" class="whs6">
<p class="whs4">What Data It Is Designed To Filter</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs7">
<td rowspan="2" colspan="1" class="whs8">
<p class="whs4">Attribute qualifications</p>
<p>These types of qualifications restrict data related to attributes on 
 the report.</td>
<td class="whs9">
<p class="whs4">Attribute form qualification</p>
<p>Create a filter based on attribute forms.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a HREF="att_form_qualification.htm">Filtering data 
 based on attribute forms: Attribute form qualification</a>.</td>
<td class="whs9">
<p>Filters data related to a business attribute's form(s), such as ID or 
 description. </p>
<p>For example, the attribute Customer has the forms ID, First Name, Last 
 Name, Address, and Birth Date. An attribute form qualification might filter 
 on the form Last Name, the operator Begins With, and the letter H. The 
 results show a list of customers whose last names start with the letter 
 H.</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs7">
<td class="whs10">
<p class="whs4">Attribute element list qualification</p>
<p>Create a filter based on attribute elements.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a HREF="Filtering_on_attribute_elements.htm">Filtering 
 data on attribute elements: Attribute element list qualification</a>.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p>Filters data related to a business attribute's elements, such as New 
 York, Washington, and San Francisco, which are elements of the attribute 
 City.</p>
<p>For example, the attribute Customer has the elements John Smith, Jane 
 Doe, William Hill, and so on. An attribute element list qualification 
 can filter data to display only those customers that you specify in the 
 qualification.</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs11">
<td rowspan="2" colspan="1" class="whs12">
<p class="whs4">Set qualifications</p>
<p>These types of qualifications restrict data based on the value, rank, 
 or percentage of a metric, or based on the relationships between the attributes 
 on the report.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p class="whs4">Metric set qualification</p>
<p>Create a filter based on metric value or rank.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a HREF="Filtering_on_metric_values.htm">Filtering 
 data on metric values or rank</a>.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p>Filters data related to a set of attributes that are determined based 
 on the metrics associated with those attributes.</p>
<p>For example, a metric set qualification might filter data to display 
 sales data for only those products with an inventory count below a specified 
 number.</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs13">
<td class="whs10">
<p class="whs4">Attribute qualification</p>
<p>Create a filter based on relationships between attributes.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a href="Attribute_qualification_prompts.htm">Filtering 
 data on an attribute: Attribute Qualification prompts</a>.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p>Filters data based on a specific relationship between two attributes.</p>
<p>For example, a relationship set qualification might filter data to display 
 those stores selling Nike shoes in the Washington, DC area.</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs14">
<td rowspan="2" colspan="1" class="whs12">
<p class="whs4">Shortcut qualifications</p>
<p>These types of qualifications restrict data related to existing report 
 results or an existing filter.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p class="whs4">Shortcut-to-a-report qualifications</p>
<p>Create a filter based on the results of an existing report.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a HREF="Report_as_filter.htm">Filtering data based 
 on report results: Shortcut-to-a-report qualification</a>.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p>Uses the result set of an existing report as is, or with additional 
 conditions, as a filter in a different report.</p>
<p>For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-report qualification by taking 
 the result set of one report showing all customers in the Southwest region, 
 placing that result set as a filter into a new report, adding a new filter 
 qualification for active customers in the current year, and displaying 
 all currently active customers in the Southwest region.</td></tr>

<tr valign="top" class="whs15">
<td class="whs10">
<p class="whs4">Shortcut-to-a-filter qualifications</p>
<p>Create a filter based on an existing filter.</p>
<p>For details, see 
<a HREF="Filtering_data_using_a_filter_object.htm">Filtering 
 data based on an existing filter: Shortcut-to-a-filter qualification</a>.</td>
<td class="whs10">
<p>Uses an existing filter as is, or with additional conditions, in a report.</p>
<p>For example, you might use a shortcut-to-a-filter qualification by taking 
 an existing filter for Region = Northeast and Year = 2006, placing it 
 in a report, and adding a new filter qualification for Month of Year = 
 December.</td></tr>
</table>
<h2>Adding a filter to a report</h2>
<p>Filters can be added to reports in two ways:</p>
<ul type="disc" class="whs16">
	
<li class=p><p>If a filter object has already been created in your 
 project (this is a stand-alone filter) that you want to use on the report, 
 you can add that filter to the report. To add an existing filter to a 
 report, see 
<a HREF="Creating_a_filter.htm">Adding a stand-alone filter 
 to a report</a>.</p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>You can create a filter directly in the report. However, 
 this kind of filter cannot be used as a filter on other reports. To create 
 a filter within a report, see 
<a HREF="Add_conditions_to_Report_Filter.htm">Creating 
 a filter within a report: Embedded filters</a>.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Both types of filters accomplish the same results in a given report. 
 The difference is that a stand-alone filter can save you time, because 
 it can be reused on multiple reports. This is especially useful if your 
 report users require common subsets of data for almost every report you 
 create. For example, if most of your users will only need to see results 
 for your Northeast region for the current year, you can create a filter 
 with the Northeast attribute and the current year attribute in it. When 
 you add that filter to all reports, only data related to the Northeast 
 region for the current year will be displayed.</p>
<h3>Related topics</h3>
<ul type="disc" class="whs16">
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Asking_for_user_input_into_a_filter_s_definition.htm">Asking 
 for user input into a filter's definition</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="att_form_qualification.htm">Filtering data 
 based on attribute forms: Attribute form qualification</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Filtering_on_attribute_elements.htm">Filtering 
 data based on attribute elements: Attribute element list qualification</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="filter_on_dates.htm">Filtering data based on 
 dates</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Filtering_on_metric_values.htm">Filtering data 
 based on metric values or rank: Set qualification</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Report_as_filter.htm">Filtering data based 
 on report results: Shortcut-to-a-report qualification</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Filtering_data_using_a_filter_object.htm">Filtering 
 data based on an existing filter: Shortcut-to-a-filter qualification</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Creating_a_filter.htm">Adding a stand-alone 
 filter to a report</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="Add_conditions_to_Report_Filter.htm">Creating 
 a filter within a report: Embedded filters</a></p></li>
	
<li class=p><p>
<a HREF="editing_a_filter.htm">Editing a filter</a></p></li>
</ul>
<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript1.2">
<!--
highlightSearch();
if (window.writeIntopicBar)
	writeIntopicBar(0);
if(0)
{

}
//-->
</script>
</body>
</html>
